A 21-acre island retreat that inspired Agatha Christie to write two of her most celebrated novels is on the market for £15 million.
The sale of Burgh Island, off south Devon, includes Agatha’s Beach House, built for Christie on the cliff edge.
The island inspired the novel And Then There Were None, in which eight guests arrive to find they and their caretakers are murder targets. As suggested, no one leaves alive.
It also featured in Christie’s Hercule Poirot classic Evil Under the Sun, whose storyline revolves around a millionaire who winds up with a phony diamond.
This brings Poirot to an exclusive island resort frequented by the rich and famous. When a murder is committed, everyone has an alibi.
21-acre Burgh Island, which is off the coast of South Devon, is on the market for £15 million
Part of the sale includes an iconic Art Deco hotel which The Beatles stayed in before a concert in Plymouth
Agatha Christie made the island her second home, and it boasts a beach house in her name
Burgh Island is located off south Devon, and has a rich and varied history
In World War II Burgh Island’s convenient seaside location meant the hotel was used as a recovery centre for wounded RAF personnel.
During the conflict the top two floors of the hotel were damaged by a bomb and despite being repaired, it suffered a period of post-war decline.
The hotel was restored to its former glory in the first decade of this century and continues to thrive today.
Dominated by the 25- suite, Grade-II listed white art-deco Burgh Island hotel, built in 1929, the property also includes its own pub, the Pilchard Inn.
A beach house where Agatha Christie wrote two murder mystery novel is part of the sale
Burgh Island has reportedly welcomed many famous guests, including President Eisenhower
The hotel, built in 1929, boasts stunning views to the mainland and beyond
As well as its own pub, the island has a tennis court, a helipad and a mermaid pool
As well as guest rooms in the beach house and above the pub, there is a tennis court, a helipad, a spa, and a mermaid pool.
Two small holiday cottages and a wartime bunker will remain under separate ownership.
At high tide the island is cut off from the mainland and guests arrive on a sea tractor. When the tide is low the island is accessible on a sand strip packed with holidaymakers.
It is rumoured that President Eisenhower and Winston Churchill met at the hotel before D-Day.
The Duke of Windsor and Wallace Simpson also reportedly visited, according to Knight Frank, the estate agency selling the property.
Burgh Island, off the south coast of Devon, boats its own private beach
Burgh Island is off the coast of Bigbury Beach, in south Devon
A highlight at the hotel is the circular skylight
At high tide the island is cut off from the mainland and guests arrive on a sea tractor
The island and the hotel were bought for £2 million in 2001
It is believed The Beatles stayed in the hotel before playing a concert in Plymouth.
The house has featured in TV programmes including the 2002 adaptation of Evil Under the Sun.
In 1965, it featured in the film Catch Us If You Can.
The island and hotel were bought in 2001 for £2 million before the estate agents Savills valued the property at £8.65 million in January 2018.
It was then sold for an undisclosed sum to Burgh Island Limited which is registered in Corby, Northamptonshire.
The 25-bedroom hotel where Winston Churchill, Noel Coward and the Beatles, previously stayed is up for sale
The property boasts more than two dozen rooms and there is room for further expansion
The iconic Burgh Island Hotel is part of the £15 million sale
The Burgh Island hotel is one of the finest examples of art-deco design in the country
The company is ultimately owned by Office Space in Town Limited.
‘It has been a true privilege to restore and enhance Burgh Island Hotel over the past few years,’ Giles Fuchs, one of the company directors, told The Times.
‘I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved with this art-deco icon.
‘Following the recent renovation and the planning decision for the further extension and development of the building, the time is right to offer this stunning property to a new owner, who can continue its legacy and take it to even greater heights.’
In December last year, the island received planning approval for a four-storey ‘Titanic’ style hotel extension to create an extra 12 guest suites and two staff rooms, the construction of a single storey building for an additional 11 en suite staff bedrooms, and extensions to The Pilchard Inn and Nettlefold restaurant.
